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Rina Chandran

CHENNAI, Nov. 18

IT's a long way from Mavalli to Mumbai, but that is where the MTR brand is headed, with a slew of new products, a national advertising campaign and a determination to communicate the heritage of the brand.

While beefing up distribution, the brand is banking heavily on its portfolio of ready-to-eat products and sweet mixes.

For the festival season, MTR introduced a range of burfi mixes and, uncharacteristically, launched a national TV campaign. "The gulab jamun mix is MTR's largest seller, and sweets are a big source of revenue, so burfi was a natural extension," said Mr J. Suresh, CEO and Executive Director, MTR Foods. "And burfi is a good talking point with kids because they also influence adults."

The ad, created by Ogilvy & Mather, Bangalore, which took on the account recently, is key to familiarising the brand in the North and West. "We have to assume that MTR is a new brand there - the name has to be popularised and established," said Mr Prateek Srivastava, Vice President, O&M. "So rather than say we make this and that, the ad focuses on the concept that MTR (its original restaurant is called Mavalli Tiffin Rooms) stands for "pure and perfect" food."

This positioning, along with a new-look logo and contemporary packaging, are all key elements of MTR's goal of establishing itself as a total meal solutions provider. "The brand has positive associations, but it was felt that it was getting a little dated." Mr Suresh said. The new logo will include the "pure and perfect" positioning, and the line, "since 1924." "The perception of the brand changes when people see that," he added.

The company has streamlined its portfolio, having trimmed about 20 offerings in pickles, papads and cooking pastes. In the North and the West, the focus will be on its range of 20 ready-to-eat products, which celebrity chef Jiggs Kalra helped develop, Mr Suresh said. Besides advertising, the brand will rely on house-to-house interactions with consumers, demos and participation in exhibitions and the like.

"The task now is to make more people try the brand," said Mr Suresh, who joined the company in June after a 17-year stint with HLL. He expects that south Indian dishes like the instant sambar mix will be popular, as people want to make it at home but don't know how.

Mr Suresh anticipates that there will be competition in "straight spices" like chilli powder and turmeric. "It is not prudent to fight MDH there - but our competitive advantage is our ready-to-eat and our snack and sweet mixes," he said. The brand is now present in 500 towns in the country, and aims to be in 800 towns soon.

Exports are another focus area; the company expects that ready-to-eat and frozen foods will help strengthen its presence. In addition to markets such as U.S., U.K. Australia, the Gulf and the Far East, there has been demand from such unexpected quarters as Czechoslovakia and Lithuania, Mr Suresh said.

In Bangalore, where the brand is a household name, MTR's concept store, "Namma MTR" (our MTR), which was opened about six months ago, is doing very well, Mr Suresh said, giving the company a valuable conduit for demos, sampling, feedback and branding. The company plans to expand the store idea in due course of time.

"We can stretch the brand to include any good food," Mr Suresh said. "Dinner time habits have changed - even people in the South eat chapattis now - and even housewives do not want to spend all their time in the kitchen. So we see a big opportunity for a total solutions provider to all meals."

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